Five Things Jeff Crandall is Thankful for this Thanksgiving

It's been exactly 23 days since I last did a Five Things article. Just because there won't be another Fire game until sometime in January doesn't mean this great piece of content can't be repurposed with a little holiday twist... With that, I give you "Five Fire-related Things I'm Thankful For..."

1) MLS Live – In my opinion, perhaps the most significant technological success Major League Soccer has had in 17 seasons. MLS Live is reliable, affordable and provides an absolutely crystal clear picture of up to 230 games that don’t involve the Chicago Fire.

While it was great to see the league sign a deal with NBC Sports this past year, with 19 teams now in the league, the peacock, ESPN and Univision networks simply can’t carry every game nationally. What’s more, the product even got better from 2011 to 2012 providing more interactivity.

Trust me when I say that the Playoff Math pieces that you all loved this fall wouldn’t have been accomplished quite as easy without MLS Live. Now if only they can turn the corner on local blackouts...Something to improve upon for next year perhaps?

2) The Chicago Fire PR and Digital Team – My job sort of fits me into both categories but the two sides almost always work hand in hand. There’s never an idea too wacky or too out of bounds for us to go after…

Get Logan Pause to eat a million Chewy bars to launch a Quaker jersey? Uh huh.
Pester an MLS owner to change his stadium’s flag policy? Sure, why not.
Create a Twitter campaign to beat the Crew in the digital realm? Of course.
Create another campaign to potentially get Pat Nyarko on the All-Star Team? Yup.
Partner with Quaker to help Austin Berry win Rookie of the Year? Did that.
Dress up as eachother to ease tensions ahead of a Halloween playoff game? And that.
Stupidly race Dominic Oduro with a jelly doughnut on the line? Sure.
Risk suffocation by jumping in a large equipment bag for a blog promo? Still can't breathe.
Interviewing a stuffed tiger during for a live blog piece to Columbus? Roar.

The list goes on and on but I just have to say I’m proud to be a part of this team. Thanks Emigdio, Brendan, Eunice, Leo, Nick and all of our trusted interns over the past year.

3) The Chicago Fire First Team – Getting to work with professional athletes on a daily basis is a fan boy’s dream. With that said, athletes don’t always reciprocate with the same feelings.

That isn’t the case with the Fire where there is a true sense of family that emanates from the locker room. From Frank and his staff, to stars like Arne Friedrich, Pavel Pardo and Logan Pause all the way down the roster, these guys are a pleasure to work with.

To all the players and staff, I appreciate your tolerance of a digital recorder often being in your face.

4) Having my own tifo – I’ve checked with the MLS Team Writer’s Union and discovered I’m alone among my counterparts when it comes to having their own dedicated two-pole display. Contrary to popular belief, my favorite song is not Fun’s “We Are Young” though I do think it’s an appropriate song to be sung at Fire games (just need to work on timing).

To the few fans (you know who you are) that took this from conception, made it a reality and hoisted this as my birthday present from the Section back on July 8, you are truly amazing.

Every time I see the two-pole and hear that song, I get chills, so thank you.

5)Traveling and getting to know Fire supporters – I was able to take in 11 of the team’s 18 road matches in person this season. While I was working at some, I was a fan at seven of those games. Those matches provided me a nice release that I don’t get to have at Toyota Park -- mainly the opportunity to scream, shout and support the guys I work with on a daily basis.

Beyond just taking a game in, I came to appreciate the camaraderie that is formed by fans on the road. There’s something to be said for what a nine-hour bus ride to Toronto or Kansas City to bring folks together.

Even better are the times where the away city is so far away that you are FORCED to spend a night out on the town in a fun city such as Montreal before cramming six people into a tiny hotel room (not to say this ever happened…).

When you work for a club, you don’t ever really feel like you’re not part of it. However, I’ve gained even more love for the Chicago Fire by returning to my roots as a fan and getting to better know and understand this club’s most ardent supporters. If you can travel away next year, please do!

There are plenty of other things I’m thankful for but you’d be here all day.